Interview with women's fiction writer Amy Impellizzeri

During her tour, Amy will be
awarding a signed copy of her book (US Only) and a $15 Amazon or Barnes and
Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a randomly drawn winner. To be entered for
a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of
winning, feel free to visit
her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Amy
is a reformed corporate litigator, former start-up executive, and award-winning
author. Amy’s first novel, Lemongrass Hope (Wyatt-MacKenzie 2014)
, was a 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Bronze Winner (Romance) and a National
Indie Excellence Awards Finalist. A favorite with bloggers and book clubs, Lemongrass Hope was named the #1
reviewed book in 2014 by blogger, The Literary Connoisseur.

Amy
is also the author of the non-fiction book, Lawyer
Interrupted (ABA Publishing 2015), and numerous essays and articles that
have appeared in online and print journals including: The Huffington Post, ABA Law Practice Today, The Glass Hammer, Divine
Caroline, Skirt! Magazine, and more.

Welcome, Amy. Please
tell us about your current release.Lemongrass Hope is a layered story
about hope and choices and second chances that will surprise you – right up
until the last page!

But
at its core, it’s about a woman who meets two men on the same night – one
becomes her husband, and one remains potentially the great love of her life.

What inspired you to
write this book?I
came up with the idea for my first novel, Lemongrass
Hope, after I took what was supposed to be a one year sabbatical from my
13-year corporate law gig. I had never wanted to be anything other than a
lawyer, and so when I embarked on my sabbatical, it took me by surprise that I
started to re-evaluate – for the first time – choices I had made and paths I
had taken in my professional life. This second-guessing and re-evaluation must
have had my subconscious working in overdrive, because while I did not leave
the law to write a book, when an idea came to me about exploring second chances
and roads not taken in the context of a unique love story, I decided to pursue
it.

Excerpt from Lemongrass Hope:Benton
came and sat down next to Kate. Right next to her. Almost on top of her. Benton
was tall and thin, and had long hair the color of Autumn. The right mix of red
and brown with flecks of gold. She had friendly eyes and a bright white smile
and was dressed all in navy like a banker, even though she looked like no
banker Kate had ever met.

“See, I knew it.” Benton had said
confidently, waving her long, manicured fingers over the textbooks and
handwritten notes scattered across the park table, nearly knocking over Kate’s
cup of coffee without apology.

“I told my friend last night that you
were not a starving actress. That you were an academic. An intellectual.
He said that you were too pretty to be an intellectual – that you were for
sure, a ‘wannabe actress.’ His words, not mine, - so gauche no?”

Kate laughed in spite of herself. In spite
also of having no clue what this gorgeous but obviously deranged creature was
talking about.

***

Later, she would enjoy telling the story of
how she met Benton in Bryant Park over and over again to Ian. He would say,
“Wait, show me exactly how she sat down. And you had to actually push your
chair back to shake her hand? And you couldn’t remember me? Not at all?”

Fake pout and then tender, long kiss.

Kate would always shake her head, of course, as
incredulous as Ian was that she did not remember him as Benton’s dinner
companion at Rocco’s that first night.

Especially since that is the night he had
always said that he first fell in love with her.

What exciting story
are you working on next?

The
novel that I am working on now – Secrets
of Worry Dolls – has evolved over the years since finishing Lemongrass Hope, and arises from my love
of and fascination for Central America (part of the story takes place in
Guatemala) … and also my love for a special gift I received as a child – a
small box of worry dolls.

Secrets of Worry
Dolls
is about two sisters, Lu and Rae, and their mother, Mari, all of whom have very
complicated relationships – made even more so by the secrets that will unfold
throughout the book.

When did you first consider yourself a
writer?

Well,
for 13 years – as a corporate litigator – I was a professional writer, but I
never really considered myself a “writer” until I finished the manuscript for Lemongrass Hope … and until I started
actually saying the words out loud: “I am a writer.”

Do you write full-time? If so, what's
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?
For the last year, I have been writing full-time alongside a host of volunteer
activities and my other full-time job: mother of three. I write a little every
day, but I try to clear my schedule a few days each week so that I can write
for an interrupted 8-9 hours, but I’m laughing as I type that, because that’s
almost impossible in the summertime.

What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
I don’t know how interesting it is, but my kids often catch me talking to
myself!

I
spend a lot of time thinking about scenes before I actually put pen to paper.

As a child, what did you want to be when
you grew up?
I wanted to be a lawyer AND a writer. But I thought that was impossible. Turns
out, I was wrong!

Anything additional you want to share
with the readers?
Lots of people ask me how to get a book published and I always say – there are
no shortcuts. You have to work hard, put the time in, and do your research. But
it IS possible. If you really dream of writing a book … pursue that dream
aggressively and persistently! Don’t wait until tomorrow.

I'm listed!

Blog Tour Partner - Goddess Fish

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About Me

I'm a NH native and love New England. I love writing about the region, exploring it on foot, on my bicycle, and in my car. There are so many small communities and fun and interesting people in this area, that I could be here a lifetime and not do all it is I want to do. :)

I'm a moderator at The Writer's Chatroom that hosts live chats with guest authors on Sunday nights 7-9PM EST. Join the e-mail list to get notifications of upcoming guests, then stop in and join the conversation!